Letters: Petraeus' predicament

The real scandal surrounding CIA Director David H. Petraeus is not that he had an extramarital affair, but that he got caught.

If America's No. 1 spy can't keep his personal peccadilloes under wraps, then how safe are the nation's covert operations?

Andrew ApterSanta Monica

Resigning a political position because of an affair went out with Monica Lewinsky's little blue dress.

We are not stupid. This is about the upcoming congressional hearings on Benghazi, where, under oath, he would have been compelled to tell us who knew what and when they knew it.

Like Watergate, the fall of a president inevitably starts with a simple lie.

Keith KarpéSan Clemente

Petraeus claims public exposure of an extramarital affair as the reason for his resignation. Unfortunately, the reason the affair became public was because Petraeus cited it. The FBI wouldn't have exposed him.

The real reason Petraeus resigned is obvious: his failure to protect our consulate in Libya, and his unwillingness to be held accountable to the public.

Ray SheltonGlendale

While I do not condone Petraeus' extramarital affair, I think President Obama should not have accepted his resignation.

If Petraeus was an outstanding leader of the CIA, he should have been retained in that position.

The affair was a personal matter, and not a basis for our losing expertise vital to the U.S. security.